Unloading means for centrifugal casting chuck



A. D. PIERCE ETAL UNLOADING MEANSEQR CENTRIFUGAL CASTING CHUCK Dec. 16,1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 8, 1952 fldere'cZ' .17. Wayne?" A. D.PIERCE ET AL UNLOADING MEANS FOR CENTRIFUGAL CASTING CHUCK Filed Feb. 8,1952 Dec. 16, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 r 5 w e 6 n W r WV n P r w m m n #62% J 5 e M e x WSW NI mum cl:

gm ms. NS X 3 .,4.......... fi Q I l l A. D. PIERCE EI'AL Dec.- 16, 1958UNLOADING MEANS FOR CENTRIF Filed Feb. 8, 1952 UGAL CASTING CHUCK 5Sheets-Sheet 5 In z/en ions Fr derz'cl' United States Patent C UNLOADINGMEANS FOR CENTRIFUGAL CASTING CHUCK Albert D. Pierce and Fredrick A.Wagner, Lansing, Mich., assignors, by mesne assignments, to TextronAmerican, lnc., Providence, R. I., a corporation of Rhode IslandApplication February 8, 1952, Serial No. 270,654

1 Claim. (Cl. 22-585) This invention relates to unloading means forcentrifugal casting chucks. The invention has to do with the manufactureof the well known centrifuse brake drum. The centrifuse brake drumincludes a cylindrical steel shell in which a cast iron brake lining iscast by centrifugal force.

The mechanism for holding and spinning the shell for casting apredetermined amount of molten cast iron into the shell and fordistributing such iron about the periphcry of the shell by centrifugalforce is well known. It has heretofore been customary, after the molteniron had hardened and while the shell and its iron lining were still atredheat, the spinning chuck having been brought to rest, to open thechuck so that the operator can lift the red. hot drum out of the chuck.by hand and move it over to and hang it on a conveyor which. carries itaway. This'is a hot, difficult task. Sometimes the drums weigh as muchas several hundred pounds. Cast drums are continuously presented totheworkman, theconveyor is always in motion, the work is hard, hot,unpleasant and very trying.

This invention has. to do with automatic. mechanical means which willtake a drum of any size out of its chuck as the chuck goes by and willconvey that drum over to and place it on a conveyor and do it in suchwise that it is not necessary to too accurately synchronize the movementof the chuck and the conveyor.

The invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in theaccompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view oftheassociated elements of the entire mechanism with parts omitted;

Figure 2 is a vertical section on an enlarged scale along the line 22 ofFigure 1;

Figure 3 is a section along the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged section along the line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a section along the line 5-5 of Figure 4; and

Figure 6 is a section along the line 6-6 of Figure 5.

Like parts are indicated by like characters throughout the specificationand drawings.

1 is a turntable rotating about a vertical axis. On it are a pluralityof spinner housings 2. Each housing carries a motor 201 which throughgear train 202 drives through a hollow shaft 102, a chuck spider 203.The chuck spider 203 carries a conical chuck seat 204. This assembly ofshaft, spider and seat rotates but is held against longitudinaldisplacement. 205 is a plunger shaft slidable in a hollow shaft 206which in turn is slidable in the shaft 102. 207 indicates a hydrauliccylinder which may reciprocate the shaft 205. On the hollow shaft 206 isa reciprocating chuck spider 209 on which are pivoted a plurality ofchuck jaws 210. These chuck jaws have arms 211 extending inwardly andthose arms may be contacted by a chuck releasing plate 212 on the shaft205. In the position shown in Figure 2, the shaft 205 has been moved tothe left, carrying with it the "ice shaft 206 until that shaft isstopped in its movement by means not herein shown. The plate 212 hasmoved' fur= ther forward asthe outer conical peripheries. 213 of thechuck jaws. 210 slide outwardly along the seat 204. The

5 plate 212 thus forces the chuck jaws outwardly so as to release thedrum 4. Since this-inclines the lower chuck jaws on which the shell nowrests, the shell tilts' out?- wardly from the bottom' as indicated infull lines.

The details of this'chuck mechanism form no part of the presentinvention and are not further shown. Suffice it tosay that when closed,they hold the drum for rota tion in a plane perpendicular to: the axisof rotation of the shafts 102, 205, 206, so that molten metal may becast into the shell. When the chuck is opened, the drum is' released butremains standing on the lower chuck jaws in the outer tilted position.

Each chuck housing has a door 5. Means for opening the door as the chucktravels with the turntable are not illustrated as-they formno part ofthe present invention.

The door 5 having been opened, the opening of the chuck causes the drum,which previously had been held by;the chuck jaws in a vertical plane, totilt outwardly, resting uponthe lower chuck jaw only so that the upperportion of the drum projects forwardly beyond the chuck which in thisposition extends in part outwardly from the front of the housing 2.

9' is a pedestal which supports a rotating frame 10, driven by the shaft11 extending below the pedestal 9 and terminating in a miter gear 12 inmesh with a miter gear 13 on the horizontal shaft 14, which in turncarries a gear 15 (-see- Figure l), meshing'with a gear 16 driven by theturntable so that the frame 10 rotates at a fixed rate of speed inconsonance' with" the rotation of the turntable 1*. In the particularexample shown, there are twel've'chuck son theturntablean'd the fi'ame10 iscaused to. make three revolutions while the turntable makes one.

The frame 10 has four pairs of outwardly projecting arms 17. Each pairof arms 17 carries a pivot pin 18 and on each pivot pin is rotatablymounted a bell crank lever 19. The shorter arm 20 of the bell cranklever 19 terminates in a roller 21 engaging a fixed cam 22 on thepedestal 9. The longer arm of the bell crank lever 19 carries at its endan adjustable removable upright drum engaging finger 23.

Since the frame 10 travels at a higher angular and linear speed than theturntable, each finger 23 will, as a chuck passes by, travel across theface of the chuck and penetrate the inclined drum. The finger havingpenetrated the inclined drum, roller 21 will engage the high spot on thecam 22 to rotate arm 19 upwardly and lift the drum off its support onthe lower side of the chuck. When this happens, since the finger 22contacts the drum near its outer edge, the drum being no longersupported by the chuck, swings outwardly into the dotted line positionshown in Figure 2, thus clearing the chuck. As the frame 10 continues torotate, the chuck also moving with the rotation of the turntable, thedrum is carried away from the turntable and out of register with thechuck.

As the frame 10 continues its rotation, it carries the drum around untilit is suspended above the drum trough 24. There the roller 21 engagesthe lower portion of the cam 22 and the finger 23 is lowered permittingthe drum to engage the trough. As the lower movement continues, the drumwill be entirely supported on the trough .and since the trough isdownwardly inclined, the drum can roll down along the trough whencontinued rotation of frame 10 disengages the finger 23 and the bellcrank lever 19 from the drum,

The drum travels along the trough until it reaches the movable cradle25, being stopped thereon by the abut.-

- 3 ment 26. 27 is a conveyor chain carried by rollers 28 travelingalong the track 29 with spaced conveyor hooks 30 downwardly dependingand passing above the cradle 25. 31 is a plunger traveling in the guides32, carrying the cradle 25. 33 is a solenoid adapted when activated toraise the plunger 31. This moves the cradle 25 upwardly so that the drum4 on the cradle is presented to a conveyor hook 30 and as the conveyortravels along it can thus pick up the drum and carry it away. 34 is anabutment extending downwardly from the cradle 25 on the side toward thetrough so that successive drums traveling down the trough 24 arearrested by the abutment when the cradle is in the raised position.

As soon as the solenoid is deenergized, the cradle descends to receivethe next drum. 35 is a switch adapted to be engaged by successive orselected conveyor hooks to cause upward movement of the cradle inconsonance with the presentation of such hooks. 36 indicates anadjustable member carried by the hook which may be placed in or out ofposition to contact the switch so that each hook or only selected hooksmay pick up a drum.

Because the trough 24 has room to hold a number of drums, the positionand movement of the hooks on the conveyor do not need to be exactly inspaced relationship with respect to the turntable. It is merelynecessary that the conveyor move fast enough or pick up drums frequentlyenough so as to keep the trough 24 from being overfilled with drums.

Since the size of the shells into which molten metal is cast may varywidely, chucks of different size may be used on the turntable.Therefore, the finger 23 is removable or adjustable. A short finger fora small diameter drum, a longer finger for a larger drum, so that a widerange of size of drum may be handled without any change in the apparatusexcept the substitution of a longer or shorter drum engaging finger, asthe case may be.

It is ordinarily not necessary to change the over all length of the longportion of the bell crank lever 19 to compensate for drums of diiferentwidths. It is suflicient that in every case the finger contact the upperouter edge of the drum beyond its center of gravity so that thecompleted drum or shell will swing outwardly when it is lifted by thefinger.

I claim:

In combination, a fixed vertically disposed column, a turntable mountedfor rotation on the column about the vertical axis thereof, a workengaging finger carried by the turntable and means for moving itvertically as the turntable rotates, a chuck mounted for movement alonga path adjacent to but outside the path of the work engaging finger, thechuck being adapted to hold and sup port an annular drum and meansassociated with the chuck for supporting the drum on its lower peripheryonly and tilting it outwardly until the upper portion of the ringoverlies the path of the finger, means for raising the finger when it isbeneath the upper, inner periphery of the drum adjacent the face thereoffurthest from the chuck and cause it to swing gravitally until the lowerperiphery of the drum is out of register with the chuck as the finger iscarried away from the point at which it first contacted the drum by therotation of the turntable.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS407,161 Brooks July 16, 1889 1,479,809 Headley et al Jan. 8, 19241,899,595 Snyder et a1 Feb. 28, 1933 1,917,872 Campbell July 11, 19331,977,220 Wyant Oct. 16, 1934 2,206,267 Schutz et a1 July 2, 19402,207,179 Schreiber July 9, 1940 2,362,132 Haub Nov. 7, 1944 2,451,975Rayburn et a1 Oct. 19, 1948 2,499,209 Balasquide Feb. 28, 1950 2,507,753Blackhurst May 16, 1950 2,556,382 Williams et a1 June 12, 1951 2,657,440Myers Nov. 3, 1953 OTHER REFERENCES Pages 32 and 33 The Foundry, March1, 1932.

